“Between us, what I really think about next year… it depends on these months, if we will have a chance to finish the war before autumn,” he said.
“Before elections, important, influential, elections in the United States. If it will be possible to achieve a peace, we will have, now we have this window.”
He emphasized that the United States possesses greater leverage than it may realize and should increase pressure on Moscow.
"The United States even more stronger than they think about themselves. And I think so really. And they really have pressure on Putin. They can stop this war," added Zelenskyy.
U.S. midterm elections in November 2026 will determine control of the House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate, as well as most state governorships. Bloomberg reported on Feb. 24 that Washington aims to broker a Ukraine-Russia peace deal before President Donald Trump participates in the July 4, 2026, celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence.
Axios reported that Trump told Zelenskyy in a Feb. 25 phone call that he wants to end the war within a month.
The New York Times, citing military and Western intelligence sources, reported that Putin is prepared to continue the war for another two years to gain full control over Donbas.